Comment delivery server, terminal device, comment delivery method, comment output method, and recording medium storing comment delivery program

ABSTRACT

There is provided a comment delivery server in a comment delivery system having: a video delivery server which delivers video data a comment delivery server which delivers comments relating to the video; and a terminal device, wherein the comment delivery server has: a conversion data storage section which stores conversion data which associates a comment targeted for conversion together with the comment obtained after the targeted comment has been converted; a receiving section which receives as comment information from the terminal device a comment and a comment attachment time which represents an elapsed video playback time at the point when the comment was attached; a determination section which refers to the conversion data storage section and determines whether or not a comment targeted for conversion is included in the comment information received by the receiving section; a comment conversion section which, when it is determined based on a determination result from the determination section that a comment targeted for conversion is included in the comment information received by the receiving section, refers to the conversion data storage section and converts the received comment into a post-conversion comment which corresponds to this comment; a comment information storage section which stores the comment information after it has been converted by the conversion section; and a comment delivery section which delivers the comment stored in the comment information storage section to the terminal device.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a comment delivery server whichcollects comments made by users and outputs the collected comments suchthat they correspond to an elapsed video playback time, and to aterminal device, a comment delivery method, a comment output method, anda recording medium on which a comment delivery program is stored.

Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-120319,filed Apr. 27, 2007, the contents of which are incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND ART

Conventionally, a system which displays comments made by a user aboutcontents of videos such as, for example, a broadcast television programor the like such that the comments are synchronized with the videos, isknown.

This type of system is disclosed, for example, in Patent document 1. Inthis system, as a result of comments about a particular scene from atelevision program being written by the terminals of users on abulleting board relating to television programs or the like, it ispossible for the users to share various comments about the sametelevision program. Any user is able to freely make this type ofcomments.

[Patent document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, FirstPublication, (JP-A) No. 2002-290949

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention

However, in a system of the above-described conventional technology,while a user is able to make comments freely, there is a possibilitythat comments will be written which have nothing whatsoever to do withthe contents of the videos being viewed, or that totally inappropriatecomments will be written. Consequently, the problem arises thatparticular users may in some cases no longer be able to enjoy theprogram they are viewing.

The present invention was conceived in view of the above describedcircumstances and it is an object thereof to provide a comment deliveryserver, and a terminal device, a comment delivery method, a commentoutput method, and a recording medium on which a comment deliveryprogram is stored, which are able to change a portion of a comment to adifferent comment.

Means for Solving the Problem

In order to solve the above described problems, the present inventionprovides a comment delivery server in a comment delivery systemcomprising a video delivery server which delivers video data, thecomment delivery server which delivers comments relating to the video,and a terminal device, the comment delivery server comprising: aconversion data storage section which stores conversion data in which acomment targeted for conversion is associated with a converted commentobtained by converting the targeted comment; a receiving section whichreceives as comment information from the terminal device a comment and acomment attachment time which represents an elapsed video playback timeat the point when the comment is attached; a determination section whichdetermines whether or not the comment targeted for conversion isincluded in the comment information received by the receiving section inreference to the conversion data storage section; a comment conversionsection which converts the comment included in the comment informationreceived by the receiving section into the converted comment whichcorresponds to the comment targeted for conversion in reference to theconversion data storage section when it is determined based on adetermination result of the determination section that the commenttargeted for conversion is included in the received comment information;a comment information storage section which stores the commentinformation converted by the conversion section; and a comment deliverysection which delivers the comment stored in the comment informationstorage section to the terminal device.

In the comment delivery server of the present invention, it is possiblefor the conversion data storage section to store different conversiondata for each item of video delivered by the video delivery server.

In the comment delivery server of the present invention, it is alsopossible in the conversion data for the post-conversion comment to beany one of audio, a static image, video, and a program.

Moreover, the present invention provides a terminal device in a commentdelivery system comprising a video delivery server which delivers videodata, a comment delivery server which delivers comments relating to thevideo, and the terminal device, the terminal device comprising: aconversion data storage section which stores conversion data in which acomment targeted for conversion is associated with a converted commentobtained by converting the targeted comment; a receiving section whichreceives as comment information from the comment delivery server acomment and a comment attachment time which represents an elapsed videoplayback time at the point when the comment is attached; a determinationsection which determines whether or not the comment targeted forconversion is included in the comment information received by thereceiving section in reference to the conversion data storage section; acomment conversion section which converts the comment included in thecomment information received by the receiving section into the convertedcomment which corresponds to the comment targeted for conversion inreference to the conversion data storage section when it is determinedbased on a determination result of the determination section that thecomment targeted for conversion is included in the received commentinformation; a comment information storage section which stores thecomment information converted by the conversion section; and an outputsection which outputs the comment information stored in the commentinformation storage section in accordance with the comment attachmenttime included in the comment information so as to be synchronized withthe elapsed video playback time of the video data.

In the terminal device of the present invention, it is possible for theconversion data storage section to store different conversion data foreach item of video delivered by the video delivery server.

In the terminal device of the present invention, in the conversion data,it is also possible for the post-conversion comment to be any one ofaudio, a static image, video, and a program.

In the terminal device of the present invention, the comment deliverysystem may comprise a contents delivery server which delivers contents;the terminal device may comprise a download section which, when adownload request which commands that a download be performed is includedin the comment in the comment information stored in the commentinformation storage section, performs a download from the contentsdelivery server in accordance with the download request; and the outputsection may output as a comment the contents downloaded by the downloadsection in accordance with the comment attachment time included in thecomment information so as to be synchronized with the elapsed videoplayback time of the video data.

In the terminal device of the present invention, if the download of thecontents which correspond to the relevant comment attachment time hasnot been completed by an elapsed playback time which corresponds to thecomment attachment time of the video data, then it is also possible forthe output section to output different contents from the contents whichhave not yet been completely downloaded.

Moreover, the present invention provides a comment delivery method in acomment delivery system comprising a video delivery server whichdelivers video data, a comment delivery server which delivers commentsrelating to the video, and a terminal device, the comment deliverymethod in the comment delivery server comprising: receiving as commentinformation from the terminal device a comment and a comment attachmenttime which represents an elapsed video playback time at the point whenthe comment is attached; in reference to a conversion data storagesection which stores conversion data in which a comment targeted forconversion is associated with a converted comment obtained by convertingthe targeted comment, determining whether or not the comment targetedfor conversion is included in the received comment information;converting the comment included in the received comment information intothe converted comment which corresponds to the comment targeted forconversion in reference to the conversion data storage section when itis determined based on the determination result that the commenttargeted for conversion is included in the received comment information;storing the converted comment information in a comment informationstorage section; and delivering the comment stored in the commentinformation storage section to the terminal device.

Moreover, the present invention provides a comment output method in acomment delivery system comprising a video delivery server whichdelivers video data, a comment delivery server which delivers commentsrelating to the video, and a terminal device, the comment output methodin the terminal device comprising: receiving as comment information fromthe comment delivery server a comment and a comment attachment timewhich represents an elapsed video playback time at the point when thecomment is attached; in reference to a conversion data storage sectionwhich stores conversion data in which a comment targeted for conversionis associated with a converted comment obtained by converting thetargeted comment, determining whether or not the comment targeted forconversion is included in the received comment information; convertingthe comment included in the received comment information into theconverted comment which corresponds to the comment targeted forconversion in reference to the conversion data storage section when itis determined based on the determination result that the commenttargeted for conversion is included in the received comment information;storing the converted comment information in a comment informationstorage section; and outputting the comment information stored in thecomment information storage section in accordance with the commentattachment time included in the comment information so as to besynchronized with the elapsed video playback time of the video data.

Moreover, the present invention provides a computer readable recordingmedium storing a program which causes to be executed on a computer of acomment delivery server of a comment delivery system comprising a videodelivery server which delivers video data, the comment delivery serverwhich delivers comments relating to the video, and a terminal device: afunction of receiving as comment information from the terminal device acomment and a comment attachment time which represents an elapsed videoplayback time at the point when the comment is attached; in reference toa conversion data storage section which stores conversion data in whicha comment targeted for conversion is associated with a converted commentobtained by converting the targeted comment, a function of determiningwhether or not the comment targeted for conversion is included in thereceived comment information; a function of converting the commentincluded in the received comment information into the converted commentwhich corresponds to the comment targeted for conversion in reference tothe conversion data storage section when it is determined based on thedetermination result that the comment targeted for conversion isincluded in the received comment information; a function of storing theconverted comment information in a comment information storage section;and a function of delivering the comment stored in the commentinformation storage section to the terminal device.

Moreover, the present invention provides a computer readable recordingmedium storing a program which causes to be executed on a computer of aterminal device of a comment delivery system comprising a video deliveryserver which delivers video data, a comment delivery server whichdelivers comments relating to the video, and the terminal device: afunction of receiving as comment information from the comment deliveryserver a comment and a comment attachment time which represents anelapsed video playback time at the point when the comment is attached;in reference to a conversion data storage section which storesconversion data in which a comment targeted for conversion is associatedwith a converted comment obtained by converting the targeted comment, afunction of determining whether or not the comment targeted forconversion is included in the received comment information; a functionof converting the comment included in the received comment informationinto the converted comment which corresponds to the comment targeted forconversion in reference to the conversion data storage section when itis determined based on the determination result that the commenttargeted for conversion is included in the received comment information;a function of storing the converted comment information in a commentinformation storage section; and a function of outputting the commentinformation stored in the comment information storage section inaccordance with the comment attachment time included in the commentinformation so as to be synchronized with the elapsed video playbacktime of the video data.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION

As described above, according to the present invention, when a commentis received which matches a previously registered comment, it ispossible to change the received comment into a different comment. As aresult, it is possible to change comments which are unrelated to thecontents of the video or which are deemed to be inappropriate subjectmatter to different comments and then output the changed comments.

Furthermore, according to the invention, because a plurality of commentswhich may be the same can be changed into different comments inaccordance with each video, it is possible to change comments into acomment appropriate to content which is unique to a video and thenoutput the changed comment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a conceptual view showing a comment delivery system accordingto an embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a comment delivery server according toan embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 3 is a drawing showing an example of data which is stored in acomment information storage section in an embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 4 is a drawing showing an example of conversion data in anembodiment of this invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a terminal device in anembodiment of this invention.

FIG. 6 is a drawing showing an example of information which is displayedon an output device in an embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation of a comment delivery serverin an embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an operation of a terminal device in anembodiment of this invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an operation of a comment delivery serverin the second embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 10A is a drawing showing an example of a display screen on whichcomments and videos are displayed in an embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 10B is a drawing showing another example of a display screen onwhich comments and videos are displayed in an embodiment of thisinvention.

FIG. 10C is a drawing showing another example of a display screen onwhich comments and videos are displayed in an embodiment of thisinvention.

FIG. 10D is a drawing showing another example of a display screen onwhich comments and videos are displayed in an embodiment of thisinvention.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating the structure of a terminaldevice in another embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an operation of a terminal device inanother embodiment of this invention.

REFERENCE SYMBOLS

-   1 Video delivery server-   2 Comment delivery server-   3 Terminal device-   5 Contents delivery device-   21, 313 Comment information storage section-   22 Communication section-   23, 324 Conversion data storage section-   24, 325 Determination section-   25, 326 Comment conversion section-   26 Comment information control section-   27 Comment information delivery section-   311 Video playback section-   312 Receiving section-   314 Output device-   315 First output section-   316 Second output section-   317 Input section-   318 Selection section-   319 Playback control section-   320 List storage section-   321 Download section-   322 Contents storage section-   323 Transmitting section

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

A comment delivery system according to a first embodiment of the presentinvention will now be described with reference made to the drawings.FIG. 1 is a conceptual view showing the structure of a comment deliverysystem according to an embodiment of this invention. FIG. 1 shows acomment delivery system in which a video delivery server 1, a commentdelivery server 2, terminal devices 3, and a contents delivery server 5are connected together via a network 4. The video delivery server 1delivers video data in response to delivery requests from the terminaldevices 3. Such deliveries are performed, for example, by streaming.

The comment delivery server 2 receives comments relating to videosdelivered by the video delivery server 1 from the terminal devices 3,and delivers the received comments to each of the terminal devices 3which is accessing those videos. This comment delivery server 2 has afunction of changing comments which match predetermined conditions fromamong the comments transmitted from the terminal devices 3 to differentcomments, and then delivering these to other terminal devices 3.

The terminal devices 3 are able to be connected to the video deliveryserver 1, the comment delivery server 2, and the contents deliveryserver 5 via the network 4, and receive and display videos deliveredfrom the video delivery server 1. In addition, the terminal devices 3receive comments delivered from the comment delivery server 2 and, whenthe received comments are in text form, output them on videos beingdisplayed on a display device.

When the received comments are contents, the terminal devices 3 downloadthe contents from the contents delivery server 5 and either store themwithin the terminal device 3 or output these contents. When the contentsare in the form of images, this output is displayed using a displaydevice, while when the contents are in the form of audio, the contentsare output suing an audio output device. Here, examples of audiocontents include music and sound effects.

Various devices may be used as the terminal devices 3 provided that theyhave a function of displaying images, or a function of outputting audioand examples thereof include PCs, mobile telephones, PDA, and portablegame devices and the like.

The contents delivery server 5 delivers contents which enable commentsto be made about video data. Examples of these contents include videos,still pictures, photographs, illustrations, animations, music, soundeffects, programs, and the like.

Next, the comment delivery server 2 and the terminal device 3 shown inFIG. 1 will be further described using the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing the structure of the commentdelivery server 2. In this drawing, a comment information storagesection 21 stores information relating to attached (i.e., issued)comments as comment information.

An example of information which is stored in this comment informationstorage section 21 is shown in FIG. 3. A plurality of groups of commentinformation obtained by grouping comments on videos delivered by thevideo delivery server 1 into their respective threads are stored ascomment information in the comment information storage section 21. Eachgroup of comment information includes video ID information whichidentifies the videos, and makes it possible to identify which video athread belongs to. The comment information includes at least one item ofcomment data. In addition to the comment attachment time and the commentcontents, this comment data includes the actual comment submission timewhich represents the actual time when a comment was attached (i.e.,issued), the user name which is the name of the user who attached thecomment, a comment identification flag which is used to identify whetherthe comment contents are in the form of text or contents, the commentoutput method which is information specifying how the comments are to beoutput on the screen of the terminal device or on an audio outputdevice, and a user ID (corresponding to user identification information)which is information identifying the user who attached the comment.

When the videos of the relevant video ID are being played back, andcomment data is received from a terminal device 3 which is accessingcomments relating to this video ID, the comment data is additionallysaved in the comment information. Note that in the present embodiment,the actual comment submission time is not included in the comment datatransmitted from the terminal device 3, and the time when the commentdelivery server 2 receives the comment data is used for the actualcomment submission time, and is added to the comment data andadditionally saved in the comment information. As a variant of this, itis also possible for a time when a comment was attached (i.e., issued)to be set as the actual comment submission time in the terminal devices3, and for comment data which includes this to be transmitted to thecomment delivery server 2.

The user name is a name which can be displayed on-screen as the personwho has made a comment and, for example, may be set by the user actuallymaking the comment.

When the comment identification flag is, for example, [0], this showsthat the comment contents are in the form of text, while when thecomment identification flag is [1], this shows that the comment contentsare in the form of contents.

When the comments are text comments, the text data thereof is stored inthe comment contents. When the comments are contents, the content namewhich is the name of the contents displayed on a contents list, and thecontents identification information thereof are included in the commentcontents. When the contents identification information are, for example,an 8-digit character string, then a portion of that character string maybe used to identify whether the contents are in the form of video,audio, or a program.

When the comment is contents and these contents are in the form ofvideo, the comment output method allows the size of the videos, thedisplay position, the direction of movement, the movement speed and thelike to be set. When the contents are in the form of audio, then thecomment output method allows the volume and audio broadcast time and thelike to be set.

In FIG. 2, the communication section 22 receives comment attachmenttimes which represent the elapsed video playback time at the point intime when a comment transmitted from a terminal device 3 was attached,user names, comment identification flags, comment contents, commentoutput methods, and user IDs. The conversion data storage section 23stores conversion data in which comments targeted for conversion areassociated with the comments obtained after the targeted comments havebeen converted. An example of this conversion data is shown in FIG. 4.Here, the conversion data is assigned to a video ID delivered by thevideo delivery server, and different conversion data is stored for eachvideo ID. Comments targeted for conversion are associated withpost-conversion information, and these are stored in this conversiondata. A comment identification flag which shows whether the commentstargeted for conversion are in text form or are in contents form isassociated with the comment contents, and these are stored in thecomments targeted for conversion. Contents identification informationfor the text targeted for conversion or for the contents targeted forconversion is stored in this comment contents. A comment identificationflag which shows whether the post-conversion comments are in text formor are in contents form is associated with the comment contents, andthese are stored in the post-conversion information. When thepost-conversion comments are in text form, the post-conversion text isstored in the comment contents, while when the post-conversion commentsare in contents form, contents identification information showing thepost-conversion contents and a contents name are stored in the commentcontents.

Accordingly, when a particular text is issued as a comment, there is apossibility that this comment will be converted into a different text.Moreover, when the name of a character related to the video is issued asa comment, there is a possibility that this comment will be convertedinto an illustration, image, video, information or the like of thischaracter. When the name of an audio file is issued as a comment, it ispossible that an audio file which is used to output the audio whichcorresponds to the name of this audio file will be played, while whenthe name of an application is issued as a comment, there is apossibility that a program which corresponds to the name of thisapplication will be executed on top of a video. Here, contentsidentification information for the relevant contents of an audio file,image data, program or the like is stored as a post-conversion comment,and if this specific comment is issued, then it is possible to downloadthe contents from the contents delivery server 5 using the contentsidentification information which corresponds to the issued comment.Moreover, it is also possible to store the URL (uniform resourcelocator) where the contents are stored as a post-conversion comment, andto download the contents from the specific URL.

When contents are issued as a comment, there is a possibility that thiscomment will be converted into different contents or text.

It is also possible for the conversion data to be conversion data whichis common to all of the video IDs, and for the conversion data to be acombination of conversion data which is common to all videos andconversion data which is different for each video ID.

Moreover, it is also possible to refer to the comment identificationflag of an issued comment, and to identify whether the contents of theissued comment were input in text form or were input in context form.Using the result of this identification, it is possible to determinewhether or not the issued comment is a comment targeted for conversionby referring to the conversion data.

The determination section 24 refers to the conversion data storagesection 23, and refers to comment contents of comment data received bythe communication section 22 to determine whether or not commentstargeted for conversion are included therein.

Based on determination results from the determination section 24, whenit is determined that comments targeted for conversion are included inthe comment data received by the communication section 22, the commentconversion section 25 refers to the conversion data storage section 23concerning the received comments, and outputs to the comment informationcontrol section 26 comment data which has been converted into apost-conversion comment which corresponds to the received comment. Whenit is determined that comments targeted for conversion are not includedin the comment information received by the communication section 22,comment conversion is not performed, and the comment data is output tothe comment information control section 26.

The comment information storage section 26 stores comment data outputfrom the comment conversion section 25 as comment information in thecomment information storage section 21. The comment information deliverysection 27 delivers to the terminal devices 3 comment information storedin the comment information storage section 21 in accordance withcommands from the communication section 22.

Next, a description will be given of a terminal device 3 using thedrawings. FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the structureof a terminal device 3.

In FIG. 5, a video playback section 311 transmits a delivery request forvideos specified by a user of a terminal device 3 to the video deliveryserver 1, and receives and then plays the videos delivered from thevideo delivery server 1. A receiving section 312 receives commentinformation input for the videos to be played back from the commentdelivery server 2. A comment information storage section 313 storescomment information received by the receiving section 312.

An output device 314 is a liquid crystal display device or CRT (CathodeRay Tube), or an audio output device such as speakers or the like, andoutputs various types of information via these devices.

A first output section 315 acquires an elapsed video playback time forthe videos being played from the video playback section 311. Inconjunction with this, the first output section 315 reads from thecomment information storage section 313 comment data to which has beenassigned a comment attachment time corresponding to the elapsed videoplayback time for the acquired videos from the comment informationstored in the comment information storage section 313, and outputscomments in the read comment data using the output device 314.

In addition, when contents corresponding to the contents identificationinformation included in the comment data stored in the commentinformation storage section 313 are not stored in the contents storagesection 322 (described below), the first output section 315 causescontents corresponding to this contents identification information to bedownloaded from the contents delivery server 5 by the download section321.

Moreover, if, at an elapsed playback time which corresponds to a commentattachment time in the video data, a download of contents correspondingto this comment attachment time has not been completed, the first outputsection 315 outputs contents which are different from the contents beingdownloaded as substitute contents. These substitute contents may bedetermined in advance, or may be selected at random from amongpre-registered contents and then output.

A second output section 316 displays a list of comments on a displayscreen of the output device 314 based on comment data stored in thecomment information storage section 313. Here, the list of comments isdisplayed in accordance with the sequence of the information on theactual comment submission time included in the comment data.

The information displayed on this output device 314 will now bedescribed further. FIG. 6 shows an example of information which isdisplayed on the output device 314. A display box 101 is where a URL(uniform resource locator) is displayed when it has accessed thiscomment delivery server 2. A display box 102 is where the video ID ofthe videos being played is displayed. A display box 103 is where thetotal number of times that access to the videos currently beingdisplayed has been requested is displayed as a view count. In this viewcount, when another user plays the videos (i.e., makes an accessrequest), the count number of users currently viewing the same videos atthat point increases, and the count number is updated and displayed. Adisplay box 104 is where videos being displayed by the first outputsection are displayed. A display box 105 is an area where each commentfrom the list of comments displayed by the second output section isdisplayed in sequence in accordance with the comment attachment time,and, here, the comments are displayed on top of the videos displayed inthe display box 104. Moreover, here, the display box 105 is set to alarger size than the display box 104, and comments and the like whichare displayed in overlay are trimmed on the outer side of the displayscreen of the videos, so that it is possible to ascertain that thecomments themselves are not included as part of the videos, but havebeen written by a user on top of the videos.

A play button, a stop button, a rewind button, a fast forward button, avolume adjustment button, a playback state display box which shows whichportion of the overall video is currently being played and the like aredisplayed on an operating panel 106. By positioning a cursor over any ofthese buttons using a mouse and then clicking the mouse, input isreceived for an operation corresponding to that button. The length ofplayback time of the total video and the elapsed video playback time ofthe video currently being displayed in the display box 104 are displayedin a display box 107. The name of a user currently making a commentabout a video is input into an input box 108 via an input section 317.Here, a check box is provided adjacent to the input box 108 and, bychecking or not checking this check box, a user can select whether toinput or not input their email address. When this check box has beenchecked, the input box 108 is divided into two boxes one of whichreceives the input of the user name, and the other of which receives theinput of the user's email address. Information about comment outputmethods which specifies the method by which a text comment to be inputinto an input box 110 is to be output is input into an input box 109.Ways of making outputs which correspond to these comment output methodscan be set as information specifying how a comment is to be displayed inoverlay, for example, for the position at which a text comment isdisplayed on a video, and also for the font, the character size, thestart position, end position, and movement direction of a movingcomment, and the like. Note that, here, the method used to output acomment can also be decided in advance so that the user does not have tomake any input themselves.

Text-based comments are input into an input box 110 by a user via theinput section 317. When a button 111 is clicked, the text-based commentsinput into the comment box 110, as well as the name of the user whichhas been input into the input box 108 and information about how thecomment is to be displayed which has been input into the input box 109,the comment identification flag for the contents which shows that thecomment is text, the comment attachment time, the video ID, and the userID are transmitted to the comment delivery server 2. A display box 112is an area where a list of comments is displayed. In this list ofcomments are displayed numbers showing the comment sequence which isattached to the comments (112 a), the names of the users who input thecomments (112 b), comment attachment times representing when thecomments were written (112 c), and the first portion of each comment(112 d) in accordance with the sequence of the information for theactual time when they were submitted. An input box such as a check boxor the like for specifying whether or not to display this display box112 on the screen is provided adjacent to the display box 112 so that itis possible to either display or hide the display box 112 in accordancewith a command to display or not display which is input into this inputbox. Moreover, it is also possible for the number of the commentportions which are displayed in the display box 112 to be altered inaccordance with a command from the user. Of these comment portions (112d) displayed in the display box 112, when the comment is in the form ofcontents, a mark showing that the comment is in the form of contents andthe title of the contents are displayed. Depending on whether or notthis mark is displayed, it is possible to ascertain whether text is tobe displayed or whether contents are to be output. The displayed markmay be changed in accordance with whether the contents are classified asvideo or audio.

A display box 113 is where details of those comments from among the listof comments displayed in the display box 112 over which the cursor hasbeen placed by the user are displayed. Comment details may include theentire comment text, and the name and email address and the like of theuser who made the comment.

A check box 114 is used to specify that one line of each comment inputinto the comment box 110 is displayed, and does so when a check mark isinput therein. For example, if a check mark is input into the check box114 and the inputting of a comment is completed, and a command is inputthat inputting has been completed, for example, by pressing the enterkey or the like, then at the moment that the enter key is pressed, the“write” button is taken as having been clicked, and the comment istransmitted to the comment delivery server 2. As a result, it ispossible to easily and quickly input a comment.

A display box 120 is an area where a list of contents about which a useris permitted to make comments is displayed as a contents list.

An input box 121 is where information is input about the comment outputmethod which specifies the output method for contents selected from thecontents list in the display box 120. For example, when the contents arein the form of video, it is possible to input the size of the video, thedisplay position, the direction of movement, the speed of movement andthe like. When the contents are audio, then it is possible to input thevolume and audio broadcast time and the like. Note that, here, themethod used to output a comment can also be decided in advance so thatthe user does not have to make any input themselves.

When a button 122 is clicked, the contents identification informationfor the contents selected in the input box 120, as well as the name ofthe user which has been input into the input box 108, the comment outputmethod input into the input box 122, the comment identification flag forthe contents which shows that the comment is contents, the commentattachment time, the video ID, and the user ID are transmitted to thecomment delivery server 2.

Next, returning to FIG. 5, the input section 317 is an input device suchas a mouse or keyboard and receives inputs of various types ofinformation from a user. When the terminal device 3 is a portable typeof electronic instrument, then a ten-key or input buttons function asthe input section 317. This input section 317 has a function ofreceiving the data input of selection commands to select contents issuedby users as comments from contents stored in a list storage section 320(described below). A selection section 318 receives inputs of selectionsof comments which are input via the input section 317 from the list ofcomments displayed by the second display unit 316. A playback controlsection 319 reads from the comment information storage section 313comment data for comments selected by the selection section 318, andcauses video to be played by the video playback section 311 from theelapsed video playback time which corresponds to the comment attachmenttime in the read comment data.

The list storage section 320 associates contents identificationinformation which identifies contents which can be issued as a commentrelating to video data together with the contents title, the number ofcomments which can be made about that particular contents, the periodover which comments can be issued, and a comment-capable video ID whichis used to specify a video forming the subject about which thesecontents can be issued as a comment, and then stores these in a list.

A download section 321 downloads contents from the contents deliveryserver 5 and stores them in a contents storage section 322.

When contents which have been registered as a list are selected as acomment and the [submit] button is clicked, the transmitting section 323transmits the selected comments together with their contentsidentification information to the comment delivery server 2 as commentdata.

Specifically, when contents which have been registered as a list areselected as a comment, the transmitting section 323 receives the inputof contents identification information for contents selected from thelist storage section 320 in accordance with a selection command inputvia the input section 317 for video data delivered from the videodelivery server 1. Next, with the elapsed video playback time at thepoint when the relevant contents identification information was attachedas a comment taken as the comment attachment time, the transmittingsection 323 transmits this to the comment delivery server 2 togetherwith the contents identification information, the user name, the commentoutput method, the comment identification flag showing that the commentis in the form of contents, the video ID, and the user ID.

Moreover, when text data input via the input section 317 is inputdirectly as a comment, the transmitting section 323 receives from theinput section 317 the data input of comment contents for the videoplayed by the video playback section 311. Next, the transmitting section323 takes the elapsed video playback time at the point when the commentcontents were input as a comment as the comment attachment time, andtransmits this to the comment delivery server 2 together with the username, the comment output method, the comment identification flag for thecontents showing that the comment is in the form of text, the video ID,and the user ID.

In addition, the transmitting section 323 also has the function oftransmitting various types of information and requests to the videodelivery server 1, the comment delivery server 2, and the contentsdelivery sever 5 in accordance with commands input via the input section317.

Next, an operation of the above described comment delivery system willbe described. Here, descriptions will be given sequentially ofoperations of the comment delivery server 2 and the terminal device 3.Here, a description is given of when a terminal device 3 has alreadyaccessed the comment delivery server 2 and performed login processing byinputting a user ID and password.

Firstly, a description will be given using the flowchart shown in FIG. 7of an operation of the comment delivery server 2.

The communication section 22 of the comment delivery server 2 detectswhether or not a comment information delivery request has been receivedfrom a terminal device 3 (step S101).

If a comment information delivery request has been received (stepS101—YES), the communication section 22 outputs to the commentinformation delivery section 27 the video ID which is included in thedelivery request. The comment information delivery section 27 reads fromthe comment information storage section 21 comment information whichcorresponds to the video ID (step S102), and transmits the read commentinformation to the terminal device 3 which made the delivery request(step S103). Here, the comment data included in the comment informationassigned to the video ID is transmitted as a collected bundle.

If, on the other hand, in step S101 a request to deliver commentinformation has not been received (step S101—NO), the communicationsection 22 determines whether or not the comment data transmitted fromthe terminal device 3 has been received (step S104). If the comment datahas not been received from the terminal device 3 (step S104—NO), theroutines returns to step S101.

If, however, it is determined that the comment data has been received bythe communication section 22 from the terminal device 3 (step S104—YES),the determination section 24 determines whether or not the commentincluded in the comment data is stored in the conversion data storagesection 23 (step S105). If the comment included in the received commentdata is stored in the conversion data storage section 23 (stepS105—YES), the comment conversion section 25 converts the comment in thereceived comment data while referring to the conversion data storagesection 23 (step S108), and proceeds to step S106).

If, however, the comment included in the received comment data is notstored in the conversion data storage section 23 (step S105—NO), thecontents information control section 25 specifies the relevant commentinformation based on the video ID included in the received comment data,and saves the received comment data in the comment information storagesection 21 as additional data (step S106). Here, if a comment isconverted in step S108, then the post-conversion comment is stored.

When the additional comment data has been saved, the comment informationdelivery section 27 delivers this additionally saved comment data to theterminal device 3 which is accessing the comment of the commentinformation where the comment data has been saved as an addition (stepS107).

Next, an operation of the terminal device 3 will be described. FIGS. 8and 9 are flowcharts illustrating an operation of a terminal device 3.

Firstly, in FIG. 8, when a video targeted for playback has been selectedand input by a user on a menu screen via the input section 317, and thevideo playback command has been input (step S201—YES), the videoplayback section 311 of the terminal device 3 makes a video deliveryrequest by transmitting the video ID of the commanded video to the videodelivery server 1, and receives the video data. In conjunction withthis, the video playback section 311 transmits the video ID, the userID, and the comment information delivery request to the comment deliveryserver 2, and receives the comment information which corresponds to thevideo ID and stores this in the comment information storage section 313(step S202). Here, if comment data for a text-based comment is includedin the comment information, the comment data for this text, the commentattachment time, the comment actual submission time, the user name, thecomment identification flag, and the comment output information arereceived, while if comment data for a contents-based comment is includedin the comment information, then the comment attachment time, thecomment actual submission time, the user name, the contentsidentification information stored as comment contents in the commentinformation, the contents title, the comment information flag, and thecomment output method are received. Here, it is also possible for thereceived comment information to be separated into text-based commentdata and contents-based comment data in accordance with the commentidentification flag.

Moreover, if comment data in which the comment matter is in the form ofcontents is included in the received comment information, a contentsdelivery request is made by transmitting the contents identificationinformation included in this comment data to the contents deliveryserver 5, and then downloading the contents from the contents deliveryserver 5 (step S203). When there is a plurality of contents, thisdownload is performed in sequence starting from the earliest commentattachment time, namely, in sequence starting from the contents whichwere displayed first when video is being played back.

Next, when the download receiving time has passed a predetermined time(for example, 30 seconds), or if the download is completed by the timethat contents which correspond to the comment attachment time have beenoutput, then the terminal device 3 starts playback of the videodelivered from the video delivery server 1 (step S204) and, based on thecurrent elapsed video playback time, determines whether or not commentdata exists which matches the elapsed video playback time (step S205).If comment data which matches the elapsed video playback time does exist(step S206—YES), the terminal device 3 refers to the comment-contentsidentification information and determines whether or not the comment isin the form of contents (step S207). If the comment is not in the formof contents (step S207—NO), then it is determined that the comment is inthe form of text and the routine proceeds to step S210 where commentoutput control is performed. If, however, the comment matter is in theform of contents (step S207—YES), then a determination is made as towhether or not those contents are stored in the contents storage section322 (step S208). If these contents are stored in the contents storagesection 322 (step S208—YES), then the contents are read from thecontents storage section 322 (step S209). Output control is thenperformed for the read contents (step S210).

If, however, in step S208, the contents which correspond to the contentsidentification information are not stored in the contents storagesection 322 (step S208—NO), then substitute contents are read (stepS212), and the routine moves to step S210 where the output control isperformed using the substitute contents as the comment.

Next, the video playback section 311 determines whether or not theplaying back of the video has ended (step S211), and if playback hasended (step S211—YES), the processing is ended, while if playback hasnot ended ((step S211—NO), the routine moves to step S205).

A description will now be given using the flowchart shown in FIG. 9 ofthe processing which is performed when, in step S206, comment data whichmatches the elapsed video playback time does not exist (step S206—NO).

The terminal device 3 determines whether or not a comment has been input(step S220) and if it is determined that a comment has been input (stepS220—YES), the terminal device 3 determines whether or not that commentis in the form of contents (step S221). If the comment is in the form ofcontents (step S221—YES), the terminal device 3 transmits the video ID,the comment attachment time, the user name, the comment identificationflag, the contents identification information, the comment outputmethod, and the user ID to the comment delivery server 2 (step S222). Ifthe comment is in the form of text (step S221—NO), the terminal device 3transmits the video ID, the comment attachment time, the user name, thecomment identification flag, the text, the comment output method, andthe user ID to the comment delivery server 2 (step S223). The routinethen moves to step S211.

If, however, in step S220, no comment has been input (step S220—NO), thereceiving section 312 detects whether or not comment data has beenreceived from the comment delivery server 2 (step S224). If comment datahas been received (step S224—YES), the receiving section 312 saves thereceived comment data as additional data in the comment informationstorage section 313 (step S225). The receiving section 312 then refersto the comment identification flag included in the received commentdata, and determines whether or not the additionally saved comment is inthe form of contents (step 226). If it is not in the form of contents(step S226—NO), the routine moves to step 211.

If, however, the additionally saved comment is in the form of contents(step S226—YES), the terminal device 3 detects whether or not thecontents which correspond to the contents identification information arestored in the contents storage section 322 (step S227), if they arestored in the contents storage section 322 (step S227—YES), the routinemoves to step S211. If contents which correspond to the contentsidentification information are not stored in the contents storagesection 322 (step S227—NO), then contents which do correspond to thiscontents identification information are downloaded from the contentsdelivery server 5 by the download section 321 (step S228), and theroutine then moves to step S211. Here, the processing from step S211 isperformed while the download is being executed.

If, however, in step S224, comment data has not been received (stepS224—NO), the input section 317 determines whether or not a commentselection operation has been performed (step S229). If a commentselection operation has not been performed (step S229—NO), the routinemoves to step S211. If a comment selection operation has been performed(step S229—YES), the video playback position is either rewound orfast-forwarded (step S230) in accordance with the elapsed video playbacktime which corresponds to the comment attachment time of the selectedcomment data, and the routine moves to step S211.

As a result of this type of processing being executed, various types ofcomment are output in a sequence in synchronization with the elapsedplayback time of the video to the output device 314 of the terminaldevice 3. For example, if the comment “this is boring” is made, then ifno comment conversion is performed, as is shown in FIG. 10A, the commentis displayed unedited. If, however, the above described commentconversion is performed, as is shown in FIG. 10B, the comment can beconverted into, for example, “something interesting, please”, and thendisplayed. It is also possible for an advert for a shop providing aproduct which is displayed via video (FIG. 10C), or for an illustration(FIG. 10D) to be displayed. Moreover, when the comment is in audio form,audio data such as music or sound effects may be output from the outputdevice 314 as audio.

Note that it is also possible to execute an application such as a gameor the like as a comment during video playback. Moreover, a comment canalso be converted into a more entertaining comment, or a more moralisticcomment, or into a local dialect or the like.

In this manner, because it is possible by performing comment conversionto change a comment which is inappropriate for a particular thread orwhich is unappealing into another expression, it is possible to improvethe level of communication and the level of entertainment. Moreover,users can enjoy anticipating what type of comment will eventuate fromsome comment they have contributed.

In the above described embodiment a case is described in which commentconversion is performed on the comment delivery server 2 side, however,it is also possible for a comment to be converted on the terminal device3 side.

Next, a case in which a comment is converted in the terminal device 3will be described. FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram illustrating thestructure of a terminal device 3 in another embodiment. In FIG. 11,portions having the same function as those described in FIG. 5 are giventhe same symbols as their corresponding portions in FIG. 5 and anydescription thereof is omitted.

A conversion data storage section 324 stores conversion data obtained byassociating a comment targeted for conversion together with the commentafter the targeted comment has been converted. The conversion datadescribed in FIG. 4 can be used for this conversion data.

A determination section 325 refers to the conversion data storagesection 324 and determines whether or not a comment targeted forconversion is included in the comment information received by thereceiving section 312.

When it is determined based on determination results from thedetermination section 325 that a comment targeted for conversion isincluded in the comment information received by the receiving section312, a comment conversion section 326 refers to the conversion datastorage section 324 and converts the received comment into apost-conversion comment corresponding to that comment. The commentconversion section 326 then stores the comment information after theconversion in the comment information storage section 313. If a commenttargeted for conversion is not stored in the received commentinformation, the comment information is then stored in the commentinformation storage section 313 without the comment being altered.

Next, an operation of the terminal device 3 having the structure shownin FIG. 11 will be described. Here, the processing of the terminaldevice 3 to playback video, to receive comment information from thecomment delivery server 2, and to output received comment information bymeans of a display screen or speaker or the like is the same as thatperformed in step S201 through step S212 shown in FIG. 8. A case inwhich, in step S206 in FIG. 8, there is no comment data matching theelapsed video playback time (i.e., step S206—NO) will now be describedusing the flowchart in FIG. 12.

The terminal device 3 determines whether or not a comment has been input(step S250), and if it is determined that a comment has been input (stepS250—YES), the terminal device 3 determines whether or not the commentis in the form of contents (step 251). If the comment is in the form ofcontents (step S251—YES), the terminal device 3 transmits the video ID,the comment attachment time, the user name, the comment identificationflag, the contents identification information, the comment outputmethod, and the user ID to the comment delivery server 2 (step S252). Ifthe comment is in the form of text (step S251—NO), the terminal device 3transmits the video ID, the comment attachment time, the user name, thecomment identification flag, the text, the comment output method, andthe user ID to the comment delivery server 2 (step S253). The routinethen moves to step S211.

If, however, in step S250 a comment has not been input (step S250—NO),the receiving section 312 detects whether or not comment data has beenreceived from the comment delivery server 2 (step S254). Here, ifcomment data has been received (step S254—YES), the receiving section312 determines whether or not the comment in the received comment datais stored in the conversion data storage section 324 (step S255). If thereceived comment is stored in the conversion data storage section 324(step S255—YES), the comment conversion section 326 converts thereceived comment while referring to the conversion data storage section324 (step S256), and the routine moves to step S257.

If, however, the comment included in the received comment data is notstored in the conversion data storage section 324 (step S255—NO), thecomment conversion section 326 saves the received comment data in thecomment information storage section 313 as additional data (step S257).Here, if a comment was not converted in step S256, the comment data isadditionally saved in an unconverted state in step S257. The commentconversion section 326 then refers to the comment identification flagincluded in the received comment data, and determines whether or not theadditionally saved comment is in the form of contents (step S258). If itis determined that the additionally saved comment is not in the form ofcontents (step S258—NO), the routine moves to step S211.

If, however, it is determined that the additionally saved comment is inthe form of contents (step S258—YES), the terminal device 3 detectswhether or not contents which correspond to the contents identificationinformation are stored in the contents storage section 322 (step S259).If contents which correspond to the contents identification informationare stored in the contents storage section 322 (step S259—YES), theroutine moves to step S211. If contents which correspond to the contentsidentification information are not stored in the contents storagesection 322 (step S259—NO), then contents which correspond to thiscontents identification information are downloaded from the contentsdelivery server 5 by the download section 321 (step S260), and theroutine moves to step S211. Here, the processing from step 211 isperformed while the download is being executed.

If, however, in step S253, comment data has not been received (stepS254—NO), the input section 317 determines whether or not a commentselection operation has been performed (step S261). If a commentselection operation has not been performed (step S261—NO), the routinemoves to step S211. If a comment selection operation has been performed(step S261—YES), the video playback position is either rewound orfast-forwarded (step S262) in accordance with the elapsed video playbacktime which corresponds to the comment attachment time of the selectedcomment data, and the routine moves to step S211.

Note that, in the above described embodiment, a case is described inwhich comment conversion is not performed in the comment delivery server2, and comment conversion is only performed on the terminal device 3side, however, it is also possible for comment conversion to beperformed respectively in both the comment delivery server 2 and theterminal device 3.

Moreover, in the above described embodiment, a case is described inwhich the comment targeted for conversion is in text form, however, thepresent invention is not limited to text comments, and it is alsopossible for the comment targeted for conversion to be in contents formand for the post-conversion contents to be in either text or contentsform. In this case, for example, as the comment targeted for conversionshown in FIG. 4, it is possible to associate a comment identificationflag which shows contents together with comment matter for whichcontents identification information has been set, and to then storethese. In addition, if, for example, sound effects contents are issued,it is possible to determine whether or not the issued sound effectscontents form a comment targeted for conversion, and if they do form acomment targeted for conversion, to then perform the comment conversion.

Moreover, in the above described embodiment, it is also possible for auser who has made a comment to delete that comment, and for users otherthan the user making a comment to also delete that comment. Here, thedeleting of a comment can be performed, for example, by stopping it frombeing displayed on screen in accordance with a comment delete commandinput via a terminal device 3 from a user having the right to deletethat particular comment. Moreover, even if users do not directly havethe right to delete a comment, it is also possible for a particularcomment to be displayed semi-transparently or to be stopped from beingdisplayed if the number of comment delete requests from users withoutdeleting rights reaches a certain level. Here, this command to delete acomment may be received by the comment delivery server 2 and the commentsubsequently deleted from the comment information storage section 21, orthe display method for a comment for which a delete command has beeninput may be set to [No display]. Alternatively, it is also possible fora comment to be set to [Semi transparent] or [Transparent] in accordancewith the number of delete commands. Note that when the comment is in theform of contents, and the contents are in the form of a video orinformation, in the same way as for text, these contents can be set to[No display], [Semi transparent], or [Transparent], while if thecontents are in the form of audio, the volume of this audio can bedecreased.

As a result of the above, it is possible for a comment to be displayedafter the opinion of the controller of the thread or of other users hasbeen considered as to whether or not that comment is suitable for thatparticular video. Moreover, even if a user does not have sufficientrights to be able to delete a particular comment simply because theywish to, it is also possible for that comment to be deleted or displayeddifferently from other comments, for example, semi-transparently inaccordance with the number of users. As a result, it is possible forcomments to be written and deleted by a plurality of users, so that theentertainment level of a thread among users is enhanced.

Moreover, a description has been given above of when the comment displaymethod is [normal], [semitransparent], or [transparent], however, it issufficient if comments targeted for deleting are displayed differentlyfrom normal comments. For example, it is also possible to createmultiple levels of semitransparency, or to alter the color of comments,or alter the character size, character font, or color gradation, or toshow the characters as white on a colored background or the like.

Moreover, it is also possible to receive an input request from a userwho has rights to delete a comment to retract a comment deletion, andfor the deleted comment to be displayed again in accordance with thiscommand.

Moreover, it is also possible to furnish users with the right to input acomment for comments made by other users. A charge may be levied on suchrights in accordance with the number of times comments are issued. Inaddition, once a comment has been made about another particular comment,then in accordance with the content of opinions and the number of timesopinions are given about that particular comment, it is possible tolower evaluation information which indicates an evaluation about a userreceiving those opinions. If this evaluation information then fallsbelow a particular standard, then irrespective of the type of commentsmade by that user, even if opinions from that user are in the form ofspecific comments (such as illustrations or pictures), they are alldisplayed as comments.

Moreover, it is also possible for comment data which goes back for afixed period from a particular point in time to be extracted fromcomment information stored in the comment information storage section 21of the comment delivery server 2, and for this to be stored as mastercomment information. Newly registered comment information may then bestored sequentially in the comment information storage section 21 asnormal comment information, and when a transmission request for commentinformation is made from a terminal device 3, this master commentinformation and the normal comment information can be delivered to theterminal device 3. In the terminal device 3, the master commentinformation is then displayed on screen as a first layer, and the normalcomment information can then be superimposed on the screen on top ofthis layer. Here, a system can be employed in which the master commentinformation cannot be deleted by anyone other than the controller orspecific users or the like, while normal comment information can bedeleted. As a result, previous memorable comments and opinions can bekept active, while enabling users to make further additions to thosecomments.

Note also that in the above described embodiment, a case is described inwhich the contents which are used for making a comment are obtained bythe user who is making the comment downloading contents which have beenprepared in advance from the contents delivery server 5 using theirterminal device 3, however, it is also possible for a user to createtheir own original contents and upload these to the contents deliveryserver 5 and thereby submitting them as a comment.

At this time, the format of the uploaded contents has desirably beenfixed in advance.

Note also that it is also possible to install plug-ins in terminaldevices which have a function of playing video which provide them withthe functions of the terminal devices 3 which they currently lack, andto thereby enable them to perform the same functions as those of theabove described terminal devices 3.

Moreover, in the above described embodiments, it is also possible toperform the comment delivery control and the comment display control byrecording on a computer-readable recording medium a program whichrealizes the functions of the comment delivery server 2 shown in FIG. 2or a program which realizes the functions of the terminal device 3 shownin FIG. 5 and FIG. 11, and by causing this program recorded on arecording medium to be read and executed by a computer system. It isalso possible for a program which realizes the functions of the terminaldevice 3 shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 11 to be installed as a plug-in on anexisting terminal device. Note that, here, the term ‘computer system’includes the OS and hardware such as peripheral devices and the like.

Moreover, if a WWW system is being utilized, then ‘computer system’ canalso include a homepage provider environment (or display environment).

‘Computer readable recording medium’ refers to a storage medium such asa portable medium such as a flexible disc, a magneto-optical disc, ROM,or CD-ROM, or a hard disc incorporated in a computer system or the like.Furthermore, ‘computer readable recording medium’ also includes devicesthat hold a program dynamically for short periods of time such ascommunication lines when the program is transmitted via a network suchas the Internet or via a communication circuit such as a telephone line,and includes devices which hold a program for a fixed period of timesuch as the volatile memory incorporated in computer systems which formthe servers and clients in the case of the communication lines ornetworks described above. The above described program may realize aportion of the above described functions or may realize the abovedescribed functions in combination with a program which has already beenrecorded on a computer system.

Embodiments of this invention have been described in detail above withreference made to the drawings, however, the specific structure of thisinvention is not limited to these embodiments and other designs and thelike are also included insofar as they do not depart from the spirit orscope of this invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present invention can be favorably applied to a system which collectcomments issued by a user and output these collected comments so as tocoincide with the elapsed playback time of a video. The presentinvention makes it possible to change comments which are unrelated tothe contents of the video or which are deemed to be inappropriatesubject matter to different comments and then output the changedcomments.

1. A comment delivery server in a comment delivery system comprising avideo delivery server which delivers video data, the comment deliveryserver which delivers comments relating to the video, and a terminaldevice, the comment delivery server comprising: a conversion datastorage section which stores conversion data in which a comment targetedfor conversion is associated with a converted comment obtained byconverting the targeted comment; a receiving section which receives ascomment information from the terminal device a comment and a commentattachment time which represents an elapsed video playback time at thepoint when the comment is attached; a determination section whichdetermines whether or not the comment targeted for conversion isincluded in the comment information received by the receiving section inreference to the conversion data storage section; a comment conversionsection which converts the comment included in the comment informationreceived by the receiving section into the converted comment whichcorresponds to the comment targeted for conversion in reference to theconversion data storage section when it is determined based on adetermination result of the determination section that the commenttargeted for conversion is included in the received comment information;a comment information storage section which stores the commentinformation converted by the conversion section; and a comment deliverysection which delivers the comment stored in the comment informationstorage section to the terminal device.
 2. The comment delivery serveraccording to claim 1, wherein the conversion data storage section storesdifferent conversion data for each item of video delivered by the videodelivery server.
 3. The comment delivery server according to claim 1,wherein, in the conversion data, the converted comment is any one ofaudio, a static image, video, and a program.
 4. A terminal device in acomment delivery system comprising a video delivery server whichdelivers video data, a comment delivery server which delivers commentsrelating to the video, and the terminal device, the terminal devicecomprising: a conversion data storage section which stores conversiondata in which a comment targeted for conversion is associated with aconverted comment obtained by converting the targeted comment; areceiving section which receives as comment information from the commentdelivery server a comment and a comment attachment time which representsan elapsed video playback time at the point when the comment isattached; a determination section which determines whether or not thecomment targeted for conversion is included in the comment informationreceived by the receiving section in reference to the conversion datastorage section; a comment conversion section which converts the commentincluded in the comment information received by the receiving sectioninto the converted comment which corresponds to the comment targeted forconversion in reference to the conversion data storage section when itis determined based on a determination result of the determinationsection that the comment targeted for conversion is included in thereceived comment information; a comment information storage sectionwhich stores the comment information converted by the conversionsection; and an output section which outputs the comment informationstored in the comment information storage section in accordance with thecomment attachment time included in the comment information so as to besynchronized with the elapsed video playback time of the video data. 5.The terminal device according to claim 4, wherein the conversion datastorage section stores different conversion data for each item of videodelivered by the video delivery server.
 6. The comment delivery serveraccording to claim 4, wherein, in the conversion data, the convertedcomment is any one of audio, a static image, video, and a program. 7.The terminal device according to claim 4, wherein: the comment deliverysystem comprises a contents delivery server which delivers contents; theterminal device comprises a download section which, when a downloadrequest which commands that a download be performed is included in thecomment in the comment information stored in the comment informationstorage section, performs a download from the contents delivery serverin accordance with the download request; and the output section outputsas a comment the contents downloaded by the download section inaccordance with the comment attachment time included in the commentinformation so as to be synchronized with the elapsed video playbacktime of the video data.
 8. The terminal device according to claim 4,wherein, if the download of the contents which correspond to therelevant comment attachment time is not been completed by an elapsedplayback time which corresponds to the comment attachment time of thevideo data, the output section outputs different contents from thecontents which is not yet been completely downloaded.
 9. A commentdelivery method in a comment delivery system comprising a video deliveryserver which delivers video data, a comment delivery server whichdelivers comments relating to the video, and a terminal device, thecomment delivery method in the comment delivery server comprising:receiving as comment information from the terminal device a comment anda comment attachment time which represents an elapsed video playbacktime at the point when the comment is attached; in reference to aconversion data storage section which stores conversion data in which acomment targeted for conversion is associated with a converted commentobtained by converting the targeted comment, determining whether or notthe comment targeted for conversion is included in the received commentinformation; converting the comment included in the received commentinformation into the converted comment which corresponds to the commenttargeted for conversion in reference to the conversion data storagesection when it is determined based on the determination result that thecomment targeted for conversion is included in the received commentinformation; storing the converted comment information in a commentinformation storage section; and delivering the comment stored in thecomment information storage section to the terminal device.
 10. Acomment output method in a comment delivery system comprising a videodelivery server which delivers video data, a comment delivery serverwhich delivers comments relating to the video, and a terminal device,the comment output method in the terminal device comprising: receivingas comment information from the comment delivery server a comment and acomment attachment time which represents an elapsed video playback timeat the point when the comment is attached; in reference to a conversiondata storage section which stores conversion data in which a commenttargeted for conversion is associated with a converted comment obtainedby converting the targeted comment, determining whether or not thecomment targeted for conversion is included in the received commentinformation; converting the comment included in the received commentinformation into the converted comment which corresponds to the commenttargeted for conversion in reference to the conversion data storagesection when it is determined based on the determination result that thecomment targeted for conversion is included in the received commentinformation; storing the converted comment information in a commentinformation storage section; and outputting the comment informationstored in the comment information storage section in accordance with thecomment attachment time included in the comment information so as to besynchronized with the elapsed video playback time of the video data. 11.A computer readable recording medium storing a program which causes tobe executed on a computer of a comment delivery server of a commentdelivery system comprising a video delivery server which delivers videodata, the comment delivery server which delivers comments relating tothe video, and a terminal device: a function of receiving as commentinformation from the terminal device a comment and a comment attachmenttime which represents an elapsed video playback time at the point whenthe comment is attached; in reference to a conversion data storagesection which stores conversion data in which a comment targeted forconversion is associated with a converted comment obtained by convertingthe targeted comment, a function of determining whether or not thecomment targeted for conversion is included in the received commentinformation; a function of converting the comment included in thereceived comment information into the converted comment whichcorresponds to the comment targeted for conversion in reference to theconversion data storage section when it is determined based on thedetermination result that the comment targeted for conversion isincluded in the received comment information; a function of storing theconverted comment information in a comment information storage section;and a function of delivering the comment stored in the commentinformation storage section to the terminal device.
 12. A computerreadable recording medium storing a program which causes to be executedon a computer of a terminal device of a comment delivery systemcomprising a video delivery server which delivers video data, a commentdelivery server which delivers comments relating to the video, and theterminal device: a function of receiving as comment information from thecomment delivery server a comment and a comment attachment time whichrepresents an elapsed video playback time at the point when the commentis attached; in reference to a conversion data storage section whichstores conversion data in which a comment targeted for conversion isassociated with a converted comment obtained by converting the targetedcomment, a function of determining whether or not the comment targetedfor conversion is included in the received comment information; afunction of converting the comment included in the received commentinformation into the converted comment which corresponds to the commenttargeted for conversion in reference to the conversion data storagesection when it is determined based on the determination result that thecomment targeted for conversion is included in the received commentinformation; a function of storing the converted comment information ina comment information storage section; and a function of outputting thecomment information stored in the comment information storage section inaccordance with the comment attachment time included in the commentinformation so as to be synchronized with the elapsed video playbacktime of the video data.